“Our wedding was in the winter so we wanted to keep the colors more natural and neutral to keep with the season.” the bride shared. “Ryan and I are both simplistic individuals so this was one of the main reasons we wanted to go with more of a traditional and simplistic design.”

Looking for a Tampa wedding venue that was in a central location for their 120 guests, the Wimauma couple chose Hotel Alba because of its accessibility to Tampa.

“We chose the Tampa area as most of our families live relatively close. Our venue was also very close to the airport which made it easy for out-of-town guests,” Amanda shared. “Hotel Alba far exceeded our expectations of our wedding day, as well as planning, thanks to coordinators Maria and Haley. Maria was there on our wedding day and made sure that everything was taken care of. They were absolutely amazing and the best to work with. The communication was outstanding, and their level of care and attention to detail was phenomenal.”

Specifically wanting an ambiance that would set a romantic and memorable backdrop, the couple relied on Hotel Alba to bring their vision to life.

“We were looking for something that would fit in with our traditional feel and had the potential to be turned into the space that we dreamed of,” the bride beamed. “It was also important to have a venue that would take care of catering, service, and set up in-house, as we wanted our wedding day to be as seamless as possible.”

The couple chose traditional décor and delicate white flowers for the bouquets and boutonnieres.Classic gold chivari chairs from A Chair Affair and lighted draping by Gabro Event Services created a romantic atmosphere.

“We used gold chivari chairs for our wedding. Chivari chairs added a hint of elegance to the atmosphere. We chose to have them in gold as it went well with the decor of the ballroom and was also in our color palette,” the bride shared. “Draping the walls added some warmth to the ballroom. We also had lighting that was projected onto the drapes that made the room feel more inviting.”

Looking back on their joyous celebration, Amanda and Ryan were reminded of how perfectly their wedding day came together.

“The most memorable moment was the first time that we were introduced as husband and wife after we exchanged our vows. We also loved getting to personally greet each one of our guests during cocktail hour and the reception,” the bride reminisced. “It was important for our night to be memorable and for our guests to have the greatest time. Ryan and I both have such amazing chemistry, and we wanted our guests to feel the love in the air.”

The Proposal:
It was the morning of our year and a half anniversary, and Ryan told me that he wanted to go to breakfast. While we were in the car, he then told me that we were not going to breakfast but instead he had a day of surprises planned. The first place Ryan took me was to the bowling alley that we met at. After another stop, we were then headed to our plot of land that we were building our house on. When we pulled up, I noticed that there was a table set along with a bottle of wine but thought nothing of it. Ryan had given me a card and a present on the way to our land. He told me that I could open up the card, but not the present. When we arrived at the plot, we walked up to the table, and Ryan told me I could open the present. I unwrapped the gift which was a homemade sign that said “To who…me?” and I turned around to Ryan down on one knee and asking me to be his forever. My immediate answer was “A million times yes!”

How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
We wanted to keep our wedding design simple and traditional so that our love would be the focus. We chose traditional décor and delicate white flowers for the bouquets as well as boutonnieres.

What were your colors?
Navy, champagne, and portobello which is a grayish-purple. Our wedding was in the winter so we wanted to keep the colors more natural and neutral to keep with the season.

What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We wanted a venue that was proximate to our guests. We also preferred a hotel venue as this would make it easiest for accommodations. We were looking for something that would fit in with our traditional feel and had the potential to be turned into the space that we dreamed of. It was also important to have a venue that would take care of catering, service, and set up in-house, as we wanted our wedding day to be as seamless as possible.

Hotel Alba far exceeded our expectations for our wedding day as well as planning, thanks to coordinators Maria and Haley. Maria was there on our wedding day and made sure that everything was taken care of. They were absolutely amazing and the best to work with. The communication was outstanding, and their level of care and attention to detail was phenomenal. I would highly recommend Hotel Alba to any bride!

What rentals did you incorporate into your wedding reception?
We used gold chivari chairs for our wedding from A Chair Affair. Chivari chairs add a hint of elegance to the atmosphere. We chose to have them in gold as it went well with the decor of the ballroom and was also a color we were using in our color palette.

I Want to Learn More about Rentals from A Chair Affair

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Having Gabro Event Services drape the walls added some warmth to the ballroom. We also had lighting that was projected onto the drapes that made the room feel more inviting.

I want to learn more about decor and draping from Gabro Event Services

Gabro Event Services will contact you shortly! In the meantime, see their featured weddings and read real couples' experiences at: https://marrymetampabay.com/category/gabro-event-services/

What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Soak in every moment of your wedding day. It really does fly by, and you can get bogged down in the stress of the day but lean on your friends and family for support so that you can fully appreciate the day. We also chose to do a first look which was something I was not considering. It was such a special moment for us to have that time together as a couple before the ceremony and reception. Our first look photos are some of my absolute favorites from the day.

Marry Me Tampa Bay editor, Anna Coats, created Marry Me Tampa Bay in 2012 to showcase the area's best local weddings and vendors. She has been featured as a wedding expert on the national talkshow Daytime, Fox13, ABC Action News, Great Day Tampa Bay, and Bay News 9 (now Spectrum).